


Holiday Party

by gracedameron



Series: One of Us [2]
Category: Newsies - All Media Types, Newsies!: the Musical - Fierstein/Menken
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Christmas Fluff, Christmas Party, F/M, Gen, Gingerbread Decorating, Hanukkah, I didn't tag it as Sprace bc they aren't a thing yet, Partying, Secret Santa, because you have to celebrate the holidays with your pals!, but they will be later, holiday party, it's the HOLIDAYS, so Sprace if you squint, so the kids throw a party, the Jacobs twins are very Jewish and very proud, this ties into my main college AU One of Us
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-17
Updated: 2017-12-17
Packaged: 2019-02-15 22:12:01
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,250
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13040496
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/gracedameron/pseuds/gracedameron
Summary: the newsies are in college and throw a fluffy fun holiday party! there's food and music and dancing and games...what more could you want? happy holidays everyone!





	Holiday Party

**Author's Note:**

> this is part of my main College AU: One of Us and there are a few silly references to things that happened in it, but it's not necessary to read it first if you just want some cute holiday fluffiness!! enjoy!

*

“Two!”

Race leapt down four stairs in a single jump, landing gracefully in what Jack now knew was “fifth position”.

“Days!”

Another jump and four stairs and Jack jogged down the stairs to catch up.

“Til!”

Four more stairs.

“BREAK!”

Race landed at the bottom of the flight effortlessly and Jack stomped down the last set of the stairs, meeting him.

“You’s got too much energy for someone’s just gone through finals week.” Jack said flatly, hiding that he was just a little out of breath from running down the stairs. “Where do you even _get_ all that energy, Racer?”

Race grinned. “Perks of ya roommate workin’ in a coffee shop. Unlimited espresso!”

Jack shook his head. “You’re crazy,” he laughed. “How you can drink straight espresso no problems, I’ll never understand.”

“Yeah, well, I don’t understan’ how you can drink paint water, but here we are.” Race giggled at Jack’s offended look.

“ _One time_!”

“Jackie, you didn’t even realize it ‘til Davey freaked out!!”

“That ain’t true,”

“It is!” Race laughed, “So it’s defin’ly happened before.”

Jack shoved Race’s shoulder playfully, lightly ruffling his curly blonde hair. “Can it, you.”

Race and Jack were both still laughing as they reached the lobby of their dorm’s building and pulled their coats around themselves tighter to go outside. Jack stuck a hat on his head and Race pulled on his scarf as they braved the cold New York day.

“You got any plans over break?” Jack asked, and Race shrugged.

“I’m goin’ back upstate with my fam’ly.” he said, “You?”

Jack smiled a little. “Ah, yeah. Dave an’ Sarah invited me to go home with them’s. They don’ live too far, Upper East side.”

“That’s awesome!” Race said with a smile, “I’m glad you’s gonna be with friends.”

“Me too,” Jack agreed. “You’s gonna be okay away from all’a us for a few weeks, Racetrack?” Jack asked, mostly joking, “I don’t know who you’re gonna bug for those three weeks, Spot’ll be goin’ through withdrawals.”

Race laughed a little, tucking his nose into his scarf to warm it up.

“Spotty’ll be fine, pro’lly glad to have a break from me. I’ll bug my cousins upstate if I gotta.” he said quickly. “Ay, did ya ever decide what to get Kath for Christmas?” Race asked, changing the subject.

“Yeah,” Jack smiled, looking away almost shyly. “I made her somethin’. And I did another thing, but it’s a surprise.”

“Aww, nice.” Race grinned. “I’m sure she’s gonna love it.”

“I hope,” Jack said with a nod. “What’d you get Spotty?”

Race’s smile was so bright it lit up the dreary winter day. “It’s so sappy, he’s gonna hate it.”

Jack shoved Race’s arm with his. “Tell!”

“I made him a thing for our dorm, a picture thing. With like, dumb pics of all’a us. I got a bunch of ‘em printed, from Kath’s instagram and all our snapchats. And he don’t got a lotta decorations for our room, so I made ‘em look special for him. It’s dumb.”

Jack melted a little. “Racer, that’s so nice. Spot acts tough, but family ‘n friends mean the world to him. He’s gonna love it, even if he don’ say so right away.”

Race’s nose crinkled as he smiled. “I know. He ain’t so good with words.”

Jack nodded in agreement. Not everyone could be as well spoken about their feelings as people like Race were, or even Katherine. Jack wished he was better with his words too. That’s why he painted, his art spoke for him.

“Jackie!” Jack looked up as he heard someone call his name and grinned, jogging ahead very carefully (he was _not_ going to slip on the ice again, it happened last week. Four times.) to his brother Crutchie, who was sitting on a bench outside the coffee shop waiting for him.

“Whadda ya doin’ out here?” Jack asked, “You’ll get sick in this cold ya moron. You coulda waited for me inside.”

“Okay, Mom.” Crutchie laughed as Jack embraced him in a hug. “Hiya Race!”

Race reached out his gloved hand to high-five Crutchie’s and the three boys walked into the coffee shop together.

“PARTY DAY, SPOTTY!” Race shouted as he jumped up to the coffee shop’s counter, picking up his standard _Dumbass_ coffee.

Spot snorted at Race’s excitement.

“Ay, guys.” he greeted Jack and Crutchie, who both grabbed their drinks, already ready to go. Jack picked up his coffee with “800 sugars”, rolling his eyes at the name written on it.

“Kelly-er and Ives is a terrible Christmas pun.” Jack told Spot, and his friend shrugged in response.

“Try and do better.” Spot challenged, and when Jack couldn’t find anything better, he grinned. “Gotcha.”

“I am genu’nly impressed ya know who Currier and Ives is,” Jack admitted. “Do you research these?”

Spot narrowed his eyes. “I ain’t revealin’ my secrets to ya, Kelly.”

“Thanks, Spotty,” Crutchie said as he picked up his hot chocolate, a neatly written _Crutchie :)_ on the cup.

“You’s got enough marshmella’s in there?” Spot asked, and Crutchie promptly opened the lid to check, nodding in confirmation.

“You bet! You’s always make it perfect.”

Spot winked, going back to work. Race, Jack and Crutchie all sat down in their corner of the coffee shop to enjoy their drinks and wait for Spot to finish his shift so they could all go to the holiday party together.

“How’s high school goin’ kiddo?” Race asked Crutchie, who rolled his eyes.

“Race you’re barely a year older than me.”

Race took a long sip of his coffee, which was mostly espresso. “Ah, I remember being your age.”

“Last year?”

“So young and innocent, so full of life.”

“You’re an idiot.”

Race grinned, wiggling his eyebrows at Crutchie. “So it’s going good?”

“It’s high school,” Crutchie answered. “It’s good, I guess. I like bein’ here better.”

“That’s ‘cuz we’s more fun.” Jack said with a smirk, and Crutchie nodded.

“Ya are!” he agreed, “We ain’t got no holiday parties at high school.”

Race grinned. “You better be ready for the best college holiday party ever, ‘cuz Kath put me in charge of it-”

“Lies, he helped but he ain’t in charge.” Jack interrupted.

“Shut it,” Race shoved Jack’s shoulder, almost spilling his coffee and making him glare. “I got put in charge an’ I promise you it’s gonna be very merry and _lit_.”

Jack raised an eyebrow and Crutchie snorted.

“Get it?” Race prompted, “Lit? Like Christmas lights.”

“So you’re tellin’ me there’s no alcohol at this party?” Jack teased, and Race shrugged.

“I ain’t sayin’. There will be _plenty_ of Christmas lights though.”

“I’m feelin’ festive already.” Crutchie said with a nod “Bring it on.”

*

“I ain’t wearin’ that, Ace,” Jack warned as Katherine balled up the festive ugly Christmas sweater and tossed it at his face.

“You _have_ to, it’s part of the party!! Look, I’m wearing one.” She held out her sweater dress, which looked like a cute Santa suit, but with sequins.

“The guys’s gonna make fun of me.”

“No they _won’t_ , Jack. Everyone’s wearing one. Even Spot!”

Jack narrowed his eyes, looking at the sweater, which matched Katherine’s as a Santa suit, complete with sequins.

“What’s Spot’s look like?” Jack asked skeptically and Katherine laughed.

“You’ll have to see. Come onnnn.”

He rolled his eyes and complied, tugging the sweater on and readjusting his cap.

“Good?”

“Perfect.”

Jack followed Katherine back down the hall to the party room, everyone cheering as they walked in.

“YAYYY!” Sarah cheered, leaping over to her roommate in her festive Chanukah jumpsuit. “He wore it!”

“She broke me down,” Jack teased and Katherine looked a little too proud of herself.

Race’s sweater had more sequins than Katherine’s did as he slid over and handed Jack a red solo cup that had Spot’s handwriting on it. Ever the barista, Spot wrote a custom holiday pun on each cup. Jack’s said “Jack Frost”, which he teased was less original than “Kelly-er and Ives”, Race’s said “Make the Yuletide Gay” (Jack laughed harder than he should have at that one), and Katherine’s said “Santa Baby” which made her nearly dump the contents of the cup on Race, who quickly protested that it wasn’t his idea.

“GIVE KATH A DIFFERENT CUP!” Race yelled at Spot, who was playing bartender behind the folding table set up with food and drinks, as Katherine chased Race across the room.

Spot obliged and took back Kath’s “Santa Baby” cup, handing her instead a cup that said “Has a List: Checks It Twice”, which she nodded in appreciation to.

“Much better.” she took a sniff of the eggnog in the new cup. “This isn’t spiked is it?”

“Your’s ain’t,” Spot said, winking at her and she rolled her eyes.

“Don’t tell me if anyone else’s is,” she insisted, and he crossed his heart.

“Done.”

Jack was pretty impressed with how well the party came together. All their friends were there, everyone wearing the dorkiest, most obnoxiously holiday themed sweaters possible. There was plenty of food; everyone brought something to share. Jack made cookies, Sarah and Davey brought latkes and jelly donuts, Katherine brought chips and dips, and Spot and Race took care of drinks. Everyone else brought snacks and treats too, like the little holiday goodie bags that Crutchie brought, candy canes from Jojo, brownies from Albert, and popcorn from Buttons. Everything was decorated spectacularly courtesy of Darcy and Bill, and Specs was in charge of the music, offering a variety of Christmas/Holiday hits.

Jack wandered the room a bit, saying hey to all his friends, aptly avoiding the mistletoe that Elmer and his girlfriend Beth were (still) standing under, and trying a little of every snack on the table. He instinctively made up a plate for Crutchie and taking it to him where he sat on a beanbag chair, chatting with Romeo and Albert. Crutchie grinned up at Jack as he took the food.

“Where’s mine?” Albert teased, and Jack tossed him a cookie from his own plate, beaning him in the forehead with it.

“Enjoy.”

“You’re such a kind soul, Jack.” Albert teased back and they both laughed.

Specs changed the song playing rather loudly around them and Race basically squealed, running over to Albert and grabbing him by the hands.

“DANCE.”

Albert wasn’t about to pass up the opportunity to dance and obliged, following Race to the center of the room so they could dance full out choreography to Mariah Carey’s Christmas album.

Crutchie grinned at Jack.

“You gonna dance?”

Jack huffed. “I don’t dance.”

“You love to dance at parties.”

“No, I love to eat at parties.”

Crutchie smirked at him. “Kath looks pretty lonely over there harassin’ Spot about bein’ bartender. Why don’ you ask her ta dance?”

Jack narrowed his eyes. “Stop that.”

“Stop what?” Crutchie asked innocently.

“Tryin’ ta set me up with Kath. She an’ I...we’s just pals.”

“Aight,” Crutchie smirked, looking away. “ _Suuuure_ you is.”

Jack flicked some of the popcorn from his plate at Crutchie, who giggled.

“Stop sulking go talk to her.”

As if on cue, Katherine called Jack’s name and gestured for him to come over, which he obliged, ignoring Crutchie’s proud laughter.

“What’s up?” Jack asked, and Katherine glanced at him before resuming her staring contest with Spot.

“Does he have alcohol at this party??” she demanded, and Jack smirked.

“How would I know?”

“You’re his brother-”

“Foster brother.” Jack corrected. “For like a year, does that count?”

“Yes.” Katherine answered quickly. “You know him well enough to know if he’s lying.”

“I didn’t _lie_ Kath, I said that there wasn’t anythin’ in your drink. I wouldn’t lie to ya about that.”

“Leave him alone Ace, it’s a _party_.” Jack insisted.

“But-”

“We’ve got like what? A day of school left? It’s almost break. Don’t worry about no rules or nothin’.”

Katherine huffed. “Jack-”

“Come on,” Jack insisted, taking Katherine by the hand, taking her drink from her hand and setting it down on the table next to them. “Dance with me?”

She smiled a little, rolling her eyes. “Fine.” She pointed at Spot. “Don’t get me in trouble.”

“You got it, Kath.”

Spot had a little smirk on his face as he watched Jack and Katherine dance with Race and Albert in the middle of the room, more of their friends joining as Specs turned the music up.

“Come on, Spotty! Dance with me!” Race begged, and Spot adamantly refused, crossing his arms in his festive “Merry Elfin’ Christmas” sweater.

“Spotttttt,” Race insisted, reaching out for his roommate, “Pleeeaaaaassseeeeee.”

Spot shook his head again but pulled out his phone. “Oh no. I ain’t dancin’. But I _will_ be puttin’ this shit all over Snapchat.”

Race brightened, sticking out his tongue as Spot started recording the dance party, going back to dancing as obnoxiously (but still _good_ , Spot noticed) as possible.

*

“Cookie time!!” Jack called as he brought the gingerbread cookies he’d made the night before out and setting them down on the table with all the icing and decorations.

“Oh my God!” Sarah squealed, holding up a dreidel cookie, “You found Chanukah cookie cutters??”

Davey picked up a star of David cookie and grinned. “This is amazing, Jack.”

“Surpriiiise,” Jack said proudly, “My idea. Kath found the cookie cutters.”

“You guys,” Sarah beamed, grabbing a star cookie to go with her dreidel, getting ready to decorate them both. “This is awesome.”

“Okay gang,” Jack grinned, “Everyone pick a cookie an’ start decoratin’. Most creative cookie wins.”

“Wins what??” Race exclaimed, ready to win.

“It’s a surprise,” Katherine said slyly. “But there is an actual prize.”

Race pointed his blank gingerbread man at Spot across the table. “I’m going to win.”

“Not if I win first,” Albert teased next to Race, elbowing him.

“That would require you beatin’ _me_ , which we know ain’t gonna happen.” Romeo insisted from the other side of Albert, who laughed.

“Oh yeah, try me.”

“Quit talkin’ an’ more decoratin’,” Spot said, “I wanna know what the prize is.”

Everyone quickly shut up and got to work.

*

“Look,” Race said, almost finished with his cookie. “It’s Gingerbread Spot Conlon.” he held up the cookie as he put the last dab of icing on it.

Everyone burst out laughing, Albert laughing so hard he almost dropped his cookie, gasping as he saved it from certain linoleum tile death.

Spot shook his head at Race. “Oh my God.”

“He’s mad,” Race said, pointing to Gingerbread Spot’s angry expression, “Because his friends and especi’ly his roommate keep annoyin’ him.”

Spot’s hard expression was cracking as he tried not to laugh.

“Do you like it?” Race asked, grinning at Spot.

“It’s fine” Spot muttered, his grimace breaking into a smile as he started laughing.

“Awww, Spot’s embarrassed,” Elmer teased, and Spot reached over and broke the head off of Elmer’s cookie, making Elmer’s jaw drop in horror.

“MY SON.”

“Spot!” Beth protested, trying not to laugh as she watched Spot pop the gingerbread man’s head into his mouth.

“Now I have to start all over,” Elmer whined. Albert reached over, squirting red icing on the broken neck of Elmer’s cookie.

“A _massacre_!” Albert shouted, everyone doubling over in laughter. “Spot’s a murderer!”

Everyone laughed, Spot included. He’d never admit it, but he really loved these morons.

*

“Who’s up next?” Jack called, holding up a wrapped box from under the teeny Christmas tree they’d set up for the party. “This one’s for….me.” He smirked.

Everyone laughed, no one saying anything as Jack opened his Secret Santa present.

“Who uses _this_ much tape?” He laughed, finally managing to get the box open. All the friends burst out laughing as Jack’s expression looked increasingly deadpan as he pulled out a cowboy hat from the box.

“Wow.”

Giggles overtook the room, everyone cheering as he put it on.

“Ironically, I love it.” Jack admitted, grinning with his present on his head.

“I knew you would.” Sarah piped up from where she sat next to Katherine on the floor, “Merry Christmas Cowboy!”

“Awww, Sarah!” Jack laughed, giving her a hug. “You’s the best. This is dumb an’ I love it.”

“My turn to pick!” Race called, jumping to his feet and picking a box from under the tree.

“For...Kath!” he handed his friend the box, which was pretty big.

Katherine giggled as she pulled at the very poorly wrapped paper.

“Alright,” she laughed pulling the box open, “What is this-” her face fell immediately and she pulled out a huge, Costco style bulk box of instant macaroni and cheese. “Are you kidding me?”

Eruptions of laughter rang through the room as Katherine pouted.

“Will I ever live this down?” she asked rhetorically, and Spot grinned as he stood from his seat and handed her some papers.

“You won’t. Merry Christmas, Kath.”

“ _You_.”

“Me. An’ that’s ya card.” Spot said, pointing at the papers he’d tossed into the box.

Katherine took the papers out and flipped through them. They were printed instructions on how to make instant macaroni, highlighted and annotated by Spot and she assumed Race, since there were smiley faces doodled in the margins.

“I hate you.” Katherine said between giggles. “Haaaate you!”

Spot grinned. “That’s the thanks I get? I put so much time an’ effort inta that card.”

Katherine smacked him with the papers. “HATE YOU.”

Jack was laughing so hard there were tears in his eyes as he high-fived Spot when he went back to his seat.

“You jerks are all eating nothing but macaroni for the _entirety_ of next semester,” Katherine taunted, “You’ll be finding macaroni in your _socks_ when I’m through with you.”

More laughter. Katherine sat back down in front of Jack’s spot on the couch, leaning against his legs.

“Quit laughing,” she insisted and then spun around to glare at him. “Did you help him with that??”

Jack held up his hands in surrender, shaking his head. “Nope.” he said, trying very hard to stop laughing, “That one was all him.”

Katherine snorted as she flipped through the papers, someone else going over to the tree to grab another present. The last page had a picture of a clean kitchen with the words, “Final Step: Don’t Burn Down The Kitchen, Enjoy Your Meal” written in Spot’s handwriting. “Don’t Burn Down The Kitchen” was highlighted. Katherine was pretty sure that she wouldn’t get a gift this hilarious for the rest of her life.

*

The party was over, but Jack and Katherine lingered in the party room to clean up. Sarah and Davey took the leftover food upstairs to their rooms dividing it up amongst their friends. Everyone else had gone back to their rooms or to their last classes of the day. Buttons and Henry had a final tonight, Race had to finish a paper he’d been putting off, and Specs had to work the last shift at the coffee shop. Jack didn’t mind staying behind to help Katherine clean, they’d already had minor bantering arguments about silly things, like where to put the decorations they’d taken down, and the choice of music Jack played on his phone while they worked.

“I think that does it,” Katherine said after they’d gotten the room looking the way it was before their party. “Nice work, Kelly.”

“You too, Ace. We’s make a pretty nice team, eh?”

Katherine grinned. “Yeah, we do.”

Jack grinned back.

“So, you leave with Sarah and Davey tomorrow, right?”

“Yeah,” Jack said, “I’m gonna miss ya, Ace. Promise ya won’t forget about me over break?”

Katherine shoved him in the shoulder playfully. “Of course not, don’t even think that.”

Jack smirked. “That mean you’s gonna miss me too?” his eyes sparkled and Katherine rolled hers, smile still on her face.

“Duh. You’re my best friend, of course I’ll miss you.”

Jack’s smirk turned into a smile. She loved his grin, how his eyes crinkled at the corners when he was happy and how his nose scrunched when he laughed at her bad jokes. She really _would_ miss him.

“Oh hey, I should give ya my present then,” Jack told her, “So’s you’s got somethin’ to remember me by.”

Katherine shook her head. “You’re impossible.”

“You love it.”

She shrugged a little.

_I do love it._

“Stay right there.” Jack went over to his backpack and pulled out two things, a binder, and a box wrapped in newspaper (his signature wrapping paper, he’d told everyone. All the gifts he’d wrapped were wrapped in newspapers. _It’s cost effect’ve!_ )

“Here. First,” Jack handed her the box, “For you.”

“What’s the second one?” Katherine asked, pulling at the newspaper wrapping paper.

“Shh. First things first!” Jack pointed at the box, and Katherine opened it up, pulling out a ceramic cup, smiling brightly.

“Did you make this?” she studied it, extremely impressed.

“Yeah. In my pott’ry class. Ain’t that good, but I figured ya could use it for pens on ya desk, or to hold flowers or somethin’.”

“Not that good?” Katherine shook her head. “Your humility never fails to surprise me, Jack Kelly. This is _beautiful_.” The ceramic piece looked like something out of an art show; detailed designs painted into the swirls embossed on the sides of it, and Katherine wasn’t sure how, but the alternate side of the cup had newsprint on it.

“Did you paint that by hand??”

“Yeah.”

Katherine blinked. “Are these...Jack.” she held the cup to her chest. “Are these from my articles?”

“My favorite ones, yeah.” he blushed beet red. “Stop stop. It ain’t _that_ special or nothin’.”

Katherine felt tears pricking behind her eyes and expertly blinked them away, laughing to cover her emotions.

“This is amazing. Thank you!” she gently wrapped the ceramic again and put it back in the box for safe keeping, setting it down on the table next to them. She pulled him into a hug. “Thank you so much.”

Jack hugged her back and smiled. “Hey, we didn’t get to the best part yet!” he insisted, holding out the binder.

“I don’t know how you’ll top that, but okay.” Katherine leaned against his shoulder as she watched him flip through the binder to find the right page.

“Here.” he pulled a paper from the page protector and handed it to her. “Ta-daaaa.”

Katherine’s jaw dropped. “You _didn’t_.”

Jack grinned brightly. “You’s been buggin’ me all semester to help ya wit’ the paper, so here ya go. New logo.”

Katherine jumped excitedly, careful not to crinkle the paper in her excitement. “JACK!” she giggled, “You’re the _best_!!”

“Don’t I know it.” Jack smirked, “I did four differen’t ones, an’ I can switch ‘em up however ya want. Now the pape won’t be so borin’.”

Katherine shook her head in amazement. “I love them. I love them so much. Thank you!!”

Jack loved that Katherine was so excited. He felt extremely accomplished. “Ah, it’s nothin’. Merry Christmas, Ace.”

Katherine threw her arms around him in a tight hug. “My turn!”

“Your turn?” he asked, genuinely surprised. “For what?”

Katherine bounced over to her things and pulled out a colorful gift bag, holding it out to Jack proudly.

Jack smiled as he took the bag and pulled the tissue paper from it.

“Ya didn’t have to get me nothin’,” he offered and she shook her head.

“Nonsense. Go on.” she bounced on the balls of her feet in excitement.

Jack grinned as he pulled a fancy leather-bound book from the bag.

“Kath, oh wow.” he unwound the leather string from the book and flipped through the blank pages.

“Do you like it?” she asked, “I figured you could never have too many sketchbooks, and this one is really cool, I found it at a street festival downtown.”

“I love it.” Jack grinned, eyes crinkling. “Thank you so much, Ace, you really didn’t haveta.”

“Of course I did. There’s more!” She gestured to the bag. “Go on.”

Jack still seemed surprised that she’d gotten him anything at all and it made Katherine just a little sad that his expectations of those around him were so low.  He was so used to setting the bar low to avoid being hurt that he was genuinely _shocked_ when people cared about him and thought of him.

“Ayyy!” Jack laughed, “The pencils I wanted!!! How didja afford these?” Jack pulled the fancy colored pencils from the bag. “Ace!”

“Are they the right ones?”

Jack nodded, amazed. “How did you get these? I’ve been eyein’ ‘em for ages!”

“Art store.” she said with a shrug. “Ain’t no big thing.” she playfully used his accent and he stuck his tongue out at her.

“I love ‘em. Thank you, Kath’rine. Really. I love it.”

Katherine beamed as Jack reached to give her a hug, squeezing her tight. She hugged him back, distantly noticing how nice he smelled as her cheek brushed his neck. When they parted they met eyes, faces just a little too close. Jack held her gaze, tension filling the air around them. His eyes drifted ever so slightly to her lips before they both caught themselves and parted.

“Merry Christmas, Jack.” Katherine said quietly, a blush creeping up her cheeks.

“Merry Christmas, Kath’rine.” Jack replied softly, holding his new notebook to his chest as Katherine gathered the last of her stuff to go back upstairs.

“Coming?” she asked, and he nodded.

“You bet.” he grabbed his stuff too and followed Katherine to the elevator, ignoring his heart thudding in his chest and butterflies fluttering in his stomach.

*

**Author's Note:**

> there's plenty more where that came from, feel free to check out my other story if you enjoyed!!
> 
> Happy Holidays everyone! that was my gift to the fandom YOU'RE WELCOME 
> 
> things to know:  
> Elmer won the cookie contest for his Zombie Cookie. the prize was more cookies. he begrudgingly accepted.  
> Spot most definitely had alcohol at that party.  
> The Gingerbread Spot Conlon was 100% based on that fanart of Marshmellow Spot Conlon (this one: https://spotsies.tumblr.com/post/162071610617/spotsies-original-here)  
> all the sweaters the kids wear can be found at Target and I speak from experience because Spot's "Merry Elfin' Christmas" sweater is 100% what I wore in my family's christmas card this year. (Sarah's Hanukkah jumpsuit is also from Target.)  
> Davey is definitely wearing a matching Hanukkah sweater.


End file.
